- Misi Taulapapa
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Misi Taulapapa 
Taulapapa playing for Samoa in 2008 Personal information Nickname Misiluki Born 25 January 1982
Auckland, New ZealandHeight 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) Weight 85 kg (13 st 5 lb) Playing information Position Wing Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 2006 NZ Warriors 5 0 0 0 0 2007–09 Cronulla Sharks 33 7 0 0 28 2012– Hull K.R Total 38 7 0 0 28 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 2008–09 Samoa 2 2 0 0 8 As of 14:10, 26 September 2008 (UTC) Misi Taulapapa (born 25 January 1982 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby league player who currently plays for the Sheffield Eagles in the Co-operative Rugby League competition. He has previously played professionally in Australia and England. Taulapapa's position of choice is on the wing.
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Early years
Taulapapa originally played rugby union for the Waitemata Football club, in the Auckland Rugby Union competition. He played with Waitemata when they won the Gallagher Shield in 2003. Taulapapa also represented the Kelston Boys High School's First XV in both regional and national tournaments.
Playing career
Taulapapa switched to rugby league in 2004. Taulapapa was selected to play in the Bartercard Cup competition for the Marist Richmond Brothers from where he was picked up by the New Zealand Warriors.[1]
Taulapapa played in six matches for the New Zealand Warriors in 2006 before he was released mid-season for turning up to a training session intoxicated.[citation needed]
After being released by the Warriors halfway through the 2006 season he moved to Queensland to finish the season at the Central Comets.
Cronulla Sharks
Taulapapa signed with the Cronulla Sharks in 2007. Here he played as a solid winger and was a fringe NRL player.
Taulapapa created some controversy in a 30 June 2008 NRL match against the Canberra Raiders, performing an alleged "reverse prowler" (a blind-side hit on a player without the ball) on Canberra player Alan Tongue when in a group tackle. However, he escaped suspension for this.[2]
He scored a hat trick in the qualifying finals game against the Canberra Raiders.
Move to England
Taulapapa originally signed with the Gateshead Thunder for the 2010 season.[3] However the club had financial difficulties which voided Taulapapa's contract. He eventually signed with the Sheffield Eagles.[4] After starting on the wing, he moved to full back after a long term injury ruled out the player in that position. He also took on the captaincy and by the end of the season was one of the stand out players for the Eagles, scoring a hat trick in a win over Leigh Centurions.[5] two weeks later, against the same opponents in the play-offs, he suffered a broken leg that ruled him out for the remainder of the 2010 season.[6]
Later years
In August 2011 Taulapapa signed to Engage Super League club Hull Kingston Rovers, he is contracted until 2012
Representative career
Taulapapa was a part of the Samoa squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.[7][8]
In 2009 he was named as part of the Samoan side for the Pacific Cup.[9]
References
- ^ Jessup, Peter (29 June 2004). "Rugby League: Aucklanders must back up after NSW Country clash". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=3575352. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
- ^ http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/tongue-tackle-piss-poor/story-e6frep96-1111116793424
- ^ http://www.rugbyleague.com/rugby-league-news/448
- ^ http://www.thestar.co.uk/rugbyleague/Samoan-star-joins-Eagles.5836013.jp
- ^ "Championship round-up - week 22". BBC News. 19 August 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/8925671.stm.
- ^ "Championship play-offs round-up". BBC News. 5 September 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/8958210.stm.
- ^ "Samoa, Tonga and Fiji name squads". BBC. 2008-10-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/7658506.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
- ^ "Samoa name World Cup Squad". League Unlimited. 2008-08-05. http://www.leagueunlimited.com/article.php?newsid=16750. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ Poching names strong Samoan squad therhinos.co.uk, 6 October 2009
External links
Sheffield Eagles – current squad 1 Woodcock · 2 Mills · 3 Yere · 4 Coleman · 5 Thackeray · 6 Lindsay · 7 Groom · 8 Howieson · 9 Cook · 10 Stringer · 11 Szostak · 12 Corcoran · 13 Green · 14 Kesik · 15 Barlow · 16 Exton · 17 Rowe · 18 Haley · 19 Hirst · 20 Brooks · 21 McDonald · 22 Hepworth · 23 Ropati · 24 Taulapapa · 25 Mossop · 26 Bergin · 36 Battye · 37 Renshaw-Smith · 38 Hawksworth · Coach: Aston
Samoa squad – 2008 Rugby League World Cup Categories:- New Zealand rugby league players
- 1982 births
- Living people
- New Zealand Warriors players
- Richmond Bulldogs players
- Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks players
- Samoa national rugby league team players
- New Zealand people of Samoan descent
- Samoan rugby league players
- Sheffield Eagles players
- Auckland rugby league team players
- Marist Richmond Brothers players
- Point Chevalier Pirates players
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